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// August 29th, 2009 // Comments Off on Emmanuel Vukovich and John McDowell in Concert: An intimate evening of music // Calendar, Featured events

September 18, 2009

8:00 pm

As a tie-in to the Toronto International Film Festival’s premiere of documentary film Stolen, this unique concert featuring musicians, composers, and farmers John McDowell (piano and African drums), and Emmanuel Vukovich (violin and African drums) will be held at Toronto’s Heliconian Club, 35 Hazelton Avenue, on Friday, September 18 at 8pm. Reception to follow concert at 9:30pm.

Both musicians have collaborated on the sound track to the film Stolen which is premiering at this year’s TIFF.

The duo will weave an evening of music inspired by a firm belief in the re-connecting of opposites – such as in their original work based on the Parcifal legend, the meeting of Eastern and Western classical music in their own transcription of Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin’s Swara Kakali, in their personal backgrounds of jazz and classical music, and finally in their own lives of practicing music and farming side by side.

F Major by John McDowell -Black Orpheus – arranged by McDowell/Vukovich

Selections from Bach’s Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas

Selections from film scores by John McDowell

The performers will also share some of their experience as farmers and present an excerpt from a film about music and farming entitled Bach in a Barn. Violinist Vukovich states “Originally, music, dance, and artistic culture in general were strongly inter-connected to, and a part of, our human civilization’s relationship to nature. This was expressed in traditional agrarian society through rituals in rhythm with the seasons – such as harvest festivals. As people have migrated more and more to large urban centres, artistic cultural life has tended to separate from agricultural life. We go to concerts in the city, and we get our food from farms in the country. This has often created a void and famine of culture and arts in rural farming communities, and a corresponding disconnect/abstraction in the arts.” To this end, the proceeds from this event will go towards the creation of a foundation which works to connect world-class music-making and artistic culture with local sustainable agriculture and farming communities.

BUY TICKETS
Tickets are $15 (students/seniors) and $20 (adult) in advance.
Purchased tickets will be available for pick up at the hall before the concert.